American baseball player (born 1984)
Baseball player
Jonathan Roy Broxton
[1]
(born June 16, 1984) is an
American
former
professional baseball
relief pitcher
. He played in
Major League Baseball
(MLB) for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
,
Kansas City Royals
,
Cincinnati Reds
,
Milwaukee Brewers
and
St. Louis Cardinals
.
High school career
[
edit
]
Broxton attended
Burke County High School
in Waynesboro, Georgia. As a senior for the Bears, he posted a 9?2 record and a 1.21
earned run average
as a pitcher. As a hitter, he had a .596
batting average
with seven
home runs
. As a teenager, Broxton stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall, weighed 250 pounds (110 kg) and was athletic enough to
dunk
a
basketball
with two hands. The
football
coaches at his high school tried unsuccessfully to convince him to play football as a
lineman
.
[2]
Broxton committed to play
college baseball
at
Georgia Southern
. He was
drafted
by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
in the second round in
2002 MLB draft
and signed with them for $685,000
[2]
on June 30,
2002
.
Playing career
[
edit
]
Minor leagues
[
edit
]
In the minor leagues, from 2002 to 2006, Broxton was 23?11 with 12 saves and a 3.03 ERA in 303 innings. He struck out 332 batters, while walking 115 and giving up 244 hits.
His minor league teams were the
Great Falls Dodgers
of the
Pioneer League
, the
South Georgia Waves
of the
South Atlantic League
, the
Vero Beach Dodgers
of the
Florida State League
, and the "AA"
Jacksonville Suns
of the
Southern League
.
Los Angeles Dodgers
[
edit
]
Broxton made his MLB debut on July 29, 2005, against the
St. Louis Cardinals
, pitching one inning in relief, allowing one run, and striking out two. His first MLB
strikeout
victim was
Cardinals
Albert Pujols
. During the 2005 campaign, he appeared in 14 games, all in relief, striking out 22 batters in only
13
+
2
⁄
3
innings.
Broxton began the 2006 season with the
Dodgers
Triple-A affiliate, the
Las Vegas 51s
. After allowing no runs in 11 appearances (with 18 strikeouts), on May 1, 2006, Broxton was recalled from the
minors
after the demotion of veteran
Lance Carter
.
[3]
After gradually gaining the confidence of manager
Grady Little
, Broxton became
Takashi Saito
's primary
setup man
, and the team's backup
closer
.
He held batters to a .159
Batting average with runners in scoring position
, and held right-handed batters to a .196
batting average
.
He appeared in a career-high 83 games for the Dodgers, third most in the National League and fourth most in franchise history. He threw 99 strikeouts (second most among all big league relievers) and ranked fifth in the Majors with 32 holds. His 2.85 ERA placed him as one of nine Major League pitchers with more than 75 innings pitched and an era below 3.78.
Broxton recorded
96
+
2
⁄
3
consecutive no-home-run innings from July 23, 2006, to August 21, 2007. That was the longest streak in team history since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958.
[4]
On July 19, 2008, Saito was placed on the
disabled list
(DL), and Broxton inherited the closer role for the remainder of the season. He allowed a pinch hit two-run homer to
Matt Stairs
of the
Philadelphia Phillies
in the 8th inning of Game 4 of the
2008 NLCS
.
[5]
In his first season as the full-time closer for the Dodgers, Broxton was selected to the
National League All-Star team
. However, he was unable to play in the Game due to injury. His final regular season record was 7?2 with a 2.61 ERA, 36 saves and 114 strikeouts. Despite his accomplished season, he suffered a costly blown save in Game 4 of the
2009 National League Championship Series
against the
Philadelphia Phillies
when he walked
Matt Stairs
, hit
Carlos Ruiz
with a pitch and then allowed a two out/two run walk off hit by
Jimmy Rollins
.
Broxton had an excellent first half of the season and was selected to the
2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
, in which he recorded the save. However, he faded in the second half, beginning with a blown save against the
New York Yankees
in which he threw 48 pitches and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. In somewhat of a repeat performance against the Phillies, he blew another 4-run lead on August 12, as this time it was Carlos Ruiz delivering the 2-run walk-off hit.
[6]
He was replaced as the closer at the end of the season by
Hong-Chih Kuo
.
Broxton returned to the closer role at the start of the 2011 season and appeared in 14 games in March and April, with a 5.68 ERA and 7 saves. On May 4, he admitted that he had been feeling some pain in his elbow and he was placed on the disabled list.
[7]
After a couple of months off he made two rehab appearances with the AAA
Albuquerque Isotopes
on June 21 and 23 but felt tightness in his shoulder when throwing on June 25 and was shut down again.
[8]
He had hoped to return in September but manager
Don Mattingly
said that his return would be late, if he returned at all.
[9]
He had another setback after testing his elbow off a mound in September and was shut down for the season.
[10]
He became a free agent at the conclusion of the season.
Kansas City Royals
[
edit
]
On November 29, 2011, Broxton signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the
Kansas City Royals
.
[11]
On April 11, 2012, Broxton tied a dubious record for a major-league pitcher by ending and losing a game on consecutive
hits by pitch
(HBP).
[12]
The last time this happened was on September 2, 1966, when
Stu Miller
of the
Baltimore Orioles
hit
Al Weis
and
Tommie Agee
of the
Chicago White Sox
.
[13]
Overall, Broxton had a strong first half, posting a 2.05 ERA, with 20 saves in 23 save opportunities through July 1.
Cincinnati Reds
[
edit
]
On the July 31, 2012, MLB non-waiver trade deadline, Broxton was dealt to the
Cincinnati Reds
in exchange for minor league pitchers
J. C. Sulbaran
and
Donnie Joseph
.
[14]
On November 28, 2012, Broxton agreed to terms on a multi-year extension with the Reds. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 15, 2013, due to a right elbow flexor strain. He was placed on the DL again in August.
After closer
Aroldis Chapman
was hit in the head with a line drive on March 19, Broxton took over closing duties for the Reds to start the 2014 season.
Milwaukee Brewers
[
edit
]
On August 31, 2014, Broxton was traded to the
Milwaukee Brewers
for two players to be named later.
[15]
On September 10, the Brewers agreed to send
Kevin Shackelford
and
Barrett Astin
to the Reds to complete the trade.
[16]
St. Louis Cardinals
[
edit
]
On July 31, 2015, Broxton was traded to the
St. Louis Cardinals
in exchange for minor league outfielder Malik Collymore.
[17]
The Brewers also sent cash, as the pitcher's 2015 salary was $9 million ($11,583,356.8 today), and he would have been
arbitration
eligible in 2016 with a $2 million ($2,574,079.3 today)
buyout
.
[18]
Broxton made his Cardinals debut on August 1 in a 6?2 loss to the
Colorado Rockies
, pitching one scoreless inning, and allowing no runners to reach base.
[19]
He completed 24 innings, striking out 26 with 12 walks and a 2.66 ERA. The Cardinals declined the $9 million option after the season, buying it out for $2 million and making him a free agent.
[20]
On December 10, 2015, the
Cardinals
re-signed Broxton to a two-year contract worth $7.5 million.
[21]
He started the season with a 2.25 ERA through May 19, but after allowing five earned runs while recording one out against the
Arizona Diamondbacks
on May 20, his ERA jumped to 4.96. As a result,
infielder
Ruben Tejada
made his major league pitching debut in the ninth inning of that game.
[22]
The Cardinals released Broxton on May 31, 2017, after he posted a 6.89 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched.
International career
[
edit
]
Broxton was selected for the
United States national baseball team
in the
2009 World Baseball Classic
during March 2009.
Scouting report
[
edit
]
The 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), 305 lb (138 kg) Broxton featured a mid-90s
fastball
as well as a
slider
.
[23]
His fastball velocity reached 102 mph in the 2009 MLB season.
[24]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Broxton and his wife, Elizabeth, married in January 2006.
[25]
[26]
The couple had their first child, a son,
[27]
on June 11, 2009.
[28]
Broxton became the head baseball coach at Edmund Burke Academy in
Burke County, Georgia
in March 2018. He brought on his father, Randy, as an assistant coach. The school won the state championship in Broxton's first season as head coach.
[29]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Jonathan Broxton Statistics"
. Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
2007-09-15
.
- ^
a
b
Whicker, Mark (18 August 2008).
"Dodgers' hard-to-miss Broxton quite a find"
.
Orange County Register
. Retrieved
11 June
2020
.
- ^
Gurnick, Ken (2006-05-01).
"Notes: Carter gets sent down"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
2009-06-13
.
- ^
"Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies ? Recap ? August 23, 2007"
.
ESPN.com
. Retrieved
2009-06-13
.
- ^
"October 13, 2008 National League Championship Series (NLCS) Game 4, Phillies at Dodgers"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
2009-06-13
.
- ^
"Phillies score 4 off Broxton in 9th"
, The Baseball Page
- ^
"Jonathan Broxton finally admits to elbow pain, is shut down -- and there's no closer in waiting [Updated]"
. 4 May 2011.
- ^
"L.A. on Navarro: 'Philosophical Differences"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-09-20
. Retrieved
2011-09-01
.
- ^
"Are Juan Uribe and Jonathan Broxton done?"
. 30 August 2011.
- ^
"Broxton suffers setback, likely done for season"
.
- ^
"Jonathan Broxton signs one-year deal with Kansas City"
.
yahoo.com
. Retrieved
2011-11-29
.
- ^
"Jonathan Broxton becomes first pitcher in 46 years to hit two batters to end a game"
.
- ^
"September 2, 1966 Baltimore Orioles at Chicago White Sox Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com"
.
- ^
Sheldon, Mark.
"Broxton deal, moves"
.
mlb.com
. Retrieved
31 July
2012
.
- ^
"Brewers acquire Broxton from Reds for 2 players"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. August 31, 2014
. Retrieved
August 31,
2014
.
- ^
"Reds get two pitchers to cap Broxton trade"
. 2014-09-11.
- ^
Gitlin, Marty (July 31, 2015).
"Brewers dispatch RP Jonathan Broxton to Cardinals"
.
CBS Sports
. Retrieved
July 31,
2015
.
- ^
Hardricourt, Tom (July 31, 2015).
"Brewers trade Jonathan Broxton to Cards for outfielder"
.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
. Retrieved
July 31,
2015
.
- ^
"Arenado homers as Rockies beat Cardinals 6?2"
.
FOX Sports
.
Associated Press
. August 1, 2015
. Retrieved
August 2,
2015
.
- ^
Gleeman, Aaron (November 2, 2015).
"Cardinals keep Jaime Garcia for 2016, drop Jonathan Broxton's option"
.
NBC Sports
. Retrieved
November 6,
2015
.
- ^
KMOX News Release (December 10, 2015).
"Cardinals sign free-agent pitcher Jonathan Broxton"
.
KMOX
. Retrieved
December 10,
2015
.
- ^
Hummel, Rick
(May 22, 2016).
"Cardinals notes: Diaz finally finding his stride at shortstop"
.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
. Retrieved
May 22,
2016
.
- ^
"PITCHf/x Player Card"
. BrooksBaseball.net
. Retrieved
November 3,
2015
.
- ^
"FanGraphs Pitch FX"
. Fangraphs.com
. Retrieved
2015-11-03
.
- ^
Youmans, Matt (2006-04-30).
"
'Silent killer' Broxton lets pitches make all the noise"
.
Las Vegas Review-Journal
. Retrieved
2009-12-14
.
- ^
"The Official Site of The Los Angeles Dodgers: Team: Player Information: Biography and Career Highlights"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
2007-09-15
.
- ^
Paulling, Daniel (2009-06-14).
"Now a dad, Broxton back with Dodgers"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
2009-12-14
.
- ^
Hernandez, Dylan (2009-06-13).
"Andruw Jones says he left because of Frank McCourt"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
2009-12-14
.
- ^
Wilcox, Wynston (June 15, 2019).
"Ex-MLB pitcher coaches Burke County team to state title with father's help"
.
The Augusta Chronicle
. Retrieved
11 June
2020
.
External links
[
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]